The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-10
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes


At present high prices Of potatoes
uothing is gained by keeping the bulk
Of the crop over Winter. So true u
this that it is almost certain that the
prices OF potatoes must be considerably
lower before Winter sets in. Conceds
~ we must that the crop generally u
deficient. vet there are some locslitiss
where the yield has been fair and even
good. When potato growers find quick
sale at high prices for their crop NJ soon
as dug. they will sell rather than to try
to hold lor higher prices in the Spring
No kind Of farm produce shrink
throug kths Winter more than the po'
tato. 1T takes a big advance in price
to make it pay to hold potatoes. They
are heavy crop to handle, besides
their shrinkags in the cellar. and II
kept late necessitato much extra labor
in asserting and breaking of sprouts.
The best time to dig potatoes varies
with circumstances. Digging in hot
weather il not good policy. especially
il the potatoes are to be stored in large
heaps. as they will quickly heat and
rot. Nor should digging be deferred
until late, for when the soil is saturat'
ed with water. or liable to freszing on
the surface, the labor Of harvesting is
greatly Increased. So long rs potatoes
skin easily, great care has to be taken
in handling and saving them. 1t 10
not safe to put in the cellar in large
quantities or even into large heaps.
A few bushels spread so ~ not to bs
more than eight or ten inches ia thick
ness. and lightly covered with straw or
potato tops. is comparatively saie.
but this involves considerable extra
labor. On this account large growers
of potatoes usually defer digging even
the early varieties until the close of
September or first of October, except
what they dig and carry off at once to
market. This year. owing to their high
price. tile bulk of early potatoes has
probably already been sold and con-
sumed.
Potato diggers have now been SO i'm
proved that they will do pretty fair
work. But on weedv ground more or
less potatoes will be lost and when
the price . nearly or quite dollar .
bushel 1t W Il pay to Dig by hand. or
follow the potato digger with pretty
thorough cultivation. so 40 to turn up
every tuber to the surface. With large
crops, clean land and low prices for Po-
tutoes. il is undoubtedly best to dig BY
horse power. and II any are accdently
left. let them 90 as not worth tho
trouble of hunting for. In selecting a
potato digger choose one tina. combines
strength and simplicity. There are
such machines that can be bought for
$50 or $40 each. and do fully - good
work Is those more complicated,
heavier and harder to draw. and cost
| ing three or four times Is much.
There is great difference W the habit
of growth Of the potato. both In its top
and tubers. in making it easy or hard
TO harvest. Most Of tho new sorts.
whatever their top may be. grow their
potatoes In q bunch easy to dig. i ID
doubtful whether any horse machine
could fully harvest . crop OF Peach
blow potatoes, their habit Of growth is
SO scattering. A new vsslsty OF equal
excellence with that but having the
same struggling growth, extending
across the rows, would now be rejected
| on that account alone. The Rose pota'
to, both Early and Late. are especially
compact in tho hill. They are often
dug rapidly with broad-tned forks, Z
strong man walking beside the row and
lifting the hill out with one motion.
getting under every potato and then
shaking the soil loose from them. This
is almost equal in rapidity to digging
with horse power implements; but COM
paratively few men nowadays care ia
undertrke to do the work of strong
horse.
II potatoes are kept in collars under
living-rooms, they should be well VEN
tlated, and never put in large heaps.
Carelessness of sanitary laws in respect
to storing vegetables in cellars has
been the cause of more sickness in
farmers families in Winter than any
thing else. The evil is most prevalent
in large potato growing districts. Few
farmers this year. however. will care to
keep over many potatoes. now that they
are SO dear, and while most other farm
products are so cheap. --Amertcan CsI
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